Well, let's clear up the suspense. This is easily the best fighting game Microsoft has put out for the Xbox. Of course that's not saying a lot, since the first fighting game MS put out was Kakuto Chojin, which right now is getting about 50 more points on GR than I would have given it. The good news is that Tao Feng is a much much better game and very enjoyable.
The game was made by one of the original Mortal Kombat programmers, and that alone should be the impetus to purchase this game. If not, read on..
Starting up you'll have quite a few options: versus, quest, survival, team battle, tournament, training, and an options menu where you can see high scores and set survival options. Of course, I highly recommend you start off with the training mode.
Thankfully as far as control goes, Microsoft realized that you shouldn't put 'high kick" on a trigger. Two buttons punch and two buttons kick. Quite simple. The triggers are used for healing and attacking off an object (like a pole). Black and white buttons are used for chi and taunting (more on that later).
Quest mode is by far the most challenging and most difficult. Starting out you'll select a sect (Pale Lotus or Black Mantis). You'll have a variety of characters to choose from each sect. Once you choose your character, you'll receive background info via the wonderful world of text. Next, you select a location to get an object (six locations to choose from in the quest). Next, you fight!
Loading times are very quick and graphics are very good. The narrator doesn't do much for me, but the in game action is very good. As is required of all fighting games, women have large bouncy bosoms to excite the pre-teen and desperate crowd.
Anyhoo, fighting in Tao Feng isn't done in rounds, instead its one large fight with three health bars. In addition to the usual gang of kicks, punches and combos, Tao Feng has three new options that I haven't seen in a fighter: first, the aforementioned one big fight rather than round 1, round 2…second there's "CHI" which is similar to a power bar in say Capcom vs SNK, but you can do something else with it then your chi is full besides unleash a powerful attack: you can heal yourself! Now you're face with an option in battle: use the chi and hopefully destroy your opponent or do you regenerate yourself if you're close to dying. Pretty interesting decision, don't you think?
The other item that is new in Tao Feng is Limb Damage. If you block too much or collide with with one of the hazards in the environment, you'll get a limb damage warning. If you don't heal, you'll get a second limb damage warning and then poof – limb damage. If your arms are damaged, your attacks will only do 50% damage. Same with your legs, but you'll also not be able to run around – which is not a good thing! This is a really neat addition to the game and the genre.
Not really new to the genre but still cool is the 'everything is in play' environments – in one level you're in a video arcade and you can throw/knock your opponent into a videogame machine, breaking it but causing some serious damage. In addition, you can swing around the poles holding up the building and perform some very cool wall attacks.
The fighting system is very easy and combos are performed flawlessly. In game help is available for combos as well as a very detailed instruction manual. You will need to perform combos well to win the game – a lot of getting the timing right. While some may see this as a pain, I only see it as much of a pain to get that 20,000 point combo in Tony Hawk – you do get some serious damage for completing the tough combos. If your timing isn't good, the computer AI will take serious advantage.
Graphics are very good, but still not as good as Dead or Alive 3. The camera work is very shaky – one moment you'll be on the left hand side and then poof, you're on the right hand side without warning. I guess the camera decides what to show based on the location you are in the room, which isn't very helpful from time to time. That's the biggest frustration in the game to me. Action looks great but when the camera just jerks you around, it's very frustrating.
The music fits the game, but it's still a bummer you can't use your own soundtracks, nor is there any sort of online play available.
The action in the game is superb, and that's what fighting games are all about. You'll have a lot of fun with this game. There aren't many unlockables like the latest Mortal Kombat, but if you're a fan of the genre the game is well worth picking up-some of the throws and special moves are definitely worth watching (my personal preference is one that looks like the Rock Bottom – very cool).
-Dan
Company Line
Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus is the perfect blend of fighting realism and stunning special effects. Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus delivers a classic battle between good and evil as two ancient Chinese clans of superfighters, each seeking to uncover the secrets of immortality, battle for dominance. Hand-to-hand combat is furiously intense with amazingly realistic fighting and stunning special effects. Arenas are highly interactive and destructive. When the fight ends, players will witness the devastation of battle.
Features
Bone-Crunching Realism: Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus takes fighting to a new level of realism: clothing tears, blood spills, bruises swell and bones break.
Completely Interactive and Destructive Worlds: Players punch holes in walls and throw opponents through glass, or make acrobatic attacks by swinging around poles and flipping off walls.
Powerful Chi Attacks: Each fighter has the ability to unleash awesome special attacks, inflicting devastating damage on the enemy and the surroundings.
Deep Fighting System: Each fighter has a distinctive style and more than 100 unique moves, throws and combos.
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